Drive Officially for Windows
Drive Officially keeps a folder on your Windows PC in sync with your MailOfficially Drive, including your shared drives and the files people share with you. It shows that folder as its own drive, usually M:, in File Explorer, so your Drive works like any other drive: open, save, copy and drag files as you always do.
Before you start
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit. No administrator rights needed: it installs for your Windows account only.
- A MailOfficially account with Drive. You sign in with it in your browser.
- Enough free disk space for your Drive and your shared drives, because everything is downloaded to the PC.
"Windows protected your PC"
If Windows shows a blue box that says "Windows protected your PC" when you open the installer, click More info, then Run anyway.
Install
- Download the installer, DriveOfficially-1.1.2.exe, and double-click it.
- If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
- That's it. It installs for your Windows account only, adds Drive Officially to the Start menu and starts by itself when you sign in to Windows. It also shows in Windows Settings > Apps.
- Look for its small folder icon in the notification area by the clock. If you don't see it, click the ^ arrow by the clock.
Sign in
- The first time it starts, a small window shows a code, for example BCDF-GHJK, and your browser opens MailOfficially.
- Sign in to MailOfficially in the browser if asked, as usual: password, 2-step code or company sign-in.
- Check that the browser shows the same code and the name of your PC, then click Allow.
- The small window closes by itself and your files start to sync.
Drive Officially can only use Drive: it can't open your email or your settings. Your sign-in is kept on this PC, protected by Windows for your Windows account only.
Where your files are
Your Drive
The folder C:\Users\<you>\Drive Officially, also shown as drive M: in File Explorer, named "Drive Officially". If M: is already taken, it uses the next free letter, for example N:.
Shared drives
Inside M:\Shared drives, one folder for each shared drive you belong to.
Shared with me
Inside M:\Shared with me (new in version 1.1.0): files and folders other people shared with you. Folders shared with you as Editor sync both ways; Viewer items are view-only. You can't move or delete the shared items at the top of this folder from your PC, because they belong to someone else: ask the owner to stop sharing instead.
What syncs
Everything in the Drive Officially folder is kept in sync both ways, in My Drive, your shared drives and Shared with me.
| You do this on the PC | What happens in Drive |
|---|---|
| Add a file or folder | It is uploaded to Drive and checked for viruses |
| Edit and save a file | A new version is uploaded. Older versions stay in Drive |
| Rename or move a file or folder | It is renamed or moved in Drive too |
| Delete a file or folder | It goes to the Drive trash in the browser, where you can restore it |
| Someone does this in Drive | What happens on the PC |
|---|---|
| Adds or changes a file | It is downloaded to your PC |
| Renames or moves something | It is renamed or moved on your PC too |
| Deletes something, or puts it in the trash | The file goes to the Windows Recycle Bin on your PC. Nothing is deleted for good |
Conflicts and skipped files
Changed in both places at once? Both copies are kept. Your PC copy is renamed, for example "Report (conflict from FRONT-DESK 2026-11-03 14-05).docx", and uploaded next to the other one, so nobody's work is lost.
Places where you can only view (a shared drive or a shared folder where you are a Viewer): you can open and copy the files, but changes stay on your PC. If you edit such a file, your edited copy is kept next to it as a "conflict" copy and the original comes back. The Status window lists these.
Not synced, on purpose: Office lock files (~$...), .tmp files, LibreOffice lock files (.~lock...), Thumbs.db and desktop.ini. Files that are still being copied or saved wait until they are finished.
The tray icon
Right-click the Drive Officially icon by the clock. The icon shows a small dot: green when everything is up to date, blue while syncing, red for a problem or when you need to sign in, and grey when paused.
| Menu item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Your email | Who is signed in |
| Open Drive (M:) | Opens the drive in File Explorer. Double-clicking the icon does the same |
| Open in browser | Opens Drive at mailofficially.com/app/drive |
| Sync now | Checks for changes right away. Normally it checks every 30 seconds, and a few seconds after you change something |
| Pause syncing / Resume syncing | Stops and restarts syncing. Your files stay where they are |
| Status... | Last sync time, items waiting, and a list of problems and notes |
| Sign out | Signs this PC out of Drive. Files stay in the folder but stop syncing |
| Uninstall... | Removes the app. Your files stay |
| Quit | Closes the app until you next sign in to Windows, or start it again from the Start menu |
Known limits
- Everything is downloaded. All your Drive files and shared drives are copied to the PC. There are no "online-only" files yet, so make sure the PC has enough free disk space.
- One file at a time. The first sync of a large Drive can take a while.
- Files that are open. A file open in a program, such as a document open in Word, is uploaded after you close it, or once it hasn't changed for about a minute.
- Big uploads. Uploads over 64 MB that are interrupted (PC turned off, network lost) start again from the beginning.
- Names. Characters Windows doesn't allow in names, like : ? * " < > |, are shown as _ on the PC. If two items in the same Drive folder end up with the same Windows name, only one is shown on the PC.
- Upper and lower case. Changing only the case of a name on the PC (report.docx to Report.docx) is not sent to Drive.
- Moving between drives. Moving between My Drive and a shared drive, or between shared drives, needs owner rights. If Drive refuses, the item goes back where it was and the Status window says why.
- Programs run as administrator. They can't see drive M:, so use the folder C:\Users\<you>\Drive Officially there instead.
- Very large removed items. Removed items over 512 MB, and items the Recycle Bin can't take, go to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Drive Officially\Removed files instead (Status window > Removed files).
- Signing in again. The app asks you to sign in again after 90 days without use. For companies with the healthcare (HIPAA) safeguards turned on, it asks every 30 days. Your files stay.
- Another person on the same Windows account. If someone else signs in to Drive Officially on the same Windows account, the previous person's folder is moved aside to "Drive Officially (old - <their email>)", so files never mix.
Updating
There are no automatic updates yet. To update, download the latest installer from docs.mailofficially.com/driveofficially and run it. It replaces the installed version and keeps your sign-in and your files.
Removing it
- Right-click the tray icon and choose Uninstall..., or
- go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Drive Officially > Uninstall.
This removes the drive letter, the Start menu entry, starting with Windows and the program, and signs this PC out. Your files stay in C:\Users\<you>\Drive Officially: delete that folder yourself if you no longer need it. Everything is still in Drive in the browser.
Your computers
In MailOfficially, Settings > Security lists "Drive Officially on your computers": each PC and when it last synced. Click Remove and that PC stops syncing straight away; files already on it stay there. Signing out everywhere, changing your password or being signed out by your admin also stops the app.
For admins
Drive Officially is on by default. Company admins can turn it off in the admin console: Drive > Sharing rules > "Allow the Drive Officially desktop app". Turning it off stops every computer in the company from syncing straight away; files already on those computers stay there, and everyone can still use Drive in the browser. Every allow, sign-in and removal is recorded in the company audit log.
Help
- The Status window (tray menu > Status...) lists anything that didn't sync and why.
- Logs are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Drive Officially\logs (Status window > Open logs folder). They never contain file contents or sign-in details, and file names are replaced by short codes, so they are safe to send to support.
- Support: mailofficially.com/app/support